murray



N0 Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

s. D. MURRAY. APPARATUS FOR FEEDING SEED COTTON TO GINS. No. 488,446. Patented Dec. 20, 1892.

2 Sheets-S11eet 2.

(No Model.)

S. D. MURRAY.

APPARATUS FUR FEBDENG SEED COTTON T0 ems.

N01188A46. Patented Dec. 20,1892.

Y mvfwfior gawk ejifwrra rarities T Marti Parent 7 Urine,

s' nrnnu D. ItiUIVtRAY, OF DALLAS, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM BURR, F SAME PLACE.

Aneanarus eon rescind seen-corrosive cine.

SEEGIFICATIGN forming part of Letters Patent No. 488,2t46, dated December 20, 1892.

Application filed April 2, 1892- Serial ll'o. 427,502, (No model.) i

To ML whom it may concern..-

in Be it known that I, STEPHEN D. MURRAY, acitizen of the United States, residing at Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of Texas, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Apparatus for Feeding Seed-Cotton to Gina,

: of which the following is a specification.

. provide a simple arrangement and operation of. devices for filling or supplying the feeding chutes.

The inventionalso has for its objects to provide simple means for gearing the feed roller shafts with a continuous picker roller shaft and mechanism for applying power and changthe speed at one point on said shaft in such ,a manner that any feeder can be thrown out of action withoutinterfering with the Work of the others.

The invention consists in the construction, combination andrelative. arrangement, of parts in an apparatus for feeding seed-cotton to gins, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

in the annexed drawings illustrating the invention-Figure i. is a partly sectional side elevation at a cotton elevating, distributing and feeding apparatus constructed according to my improvements. Fig. 2 is a partly sec iional end elevation of the apparatus. Fig. 3' is a vertical transverse section of the apparatus through one 05: the rigidly depending chutes or feeders. 7

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designatesa pneumatic tube through which the cotton to be cleansed and distributed may he either draw-n or blown by means of an air As shown, a fan 2 may be arranged in communication with the tube 1 in such a int when in operation the air will be rein said tube and thereby cause the cotton to enter the tune from a wagon r other source ofsupply with which one end of the pneumatic tube will communicate. It is obvious that instead of exhausting the air from the tube 1 blower may be employed to force the cotton into and through said tube.

The horizontal portion ofthe pneumatic tube 1 is provided in its under side with a longitudinal opening 3 through which communication is had with the central distrihuting spaces 4 of a horizontally arranged distribute-Moos or casing 5 which is secured to the under side of the said horizontal portion of the tube 1 iuany convenient manner.

On each side otthe several central spaces or compartments i of the box 5 is an air passage G, which passages are separated from said compartments a by wire gauze screens 7 that permit the passage of air and the sepa ration and escape of dust, while retaining the cotton.

The construction and arrangement of the- In the distributeubox or casing 5 may be arranged any desired number of the distributing compartments 4 arranged at convenrent distances apart, as required. Beneath each of these compartments and rigidly SB-\ cured to the bottom of the box or casing 5 is a feeder or chute 8 arranged to conduct the cotton from the distributing compartment to the roll box of gin, or other points The feeder 8 is provided in its upper portion, on one side, with a valve 9 that may be hinged, pivot-ed or otherwise supported at its upper end. This valve may be arranged to be 0p eruted by suction or it may be provided with a crank-handle 10, extended to the outside of the feeder or chute, by which it can be oper ated by hand.

In the wall of the feeder 8 at the rear of the valve 9 is an air-inlet 11 that can. be controlled by a movable gate 12 to permit, orcirt off, the entrance of air.

At a suitable point below the valve 9 is arranged a transparent panel 13 through which the hei 'ht of cotton in the feeder can he closerv= i i I The cotton that is conveyed into the tube 1 by the action of the air drat't passes into the said valve can be closed by hand. While the air currents.

several distributing compartments t and falls thence into'the feeders. I

When the apparatus is put into operation the suction .of the exhaust fan will cause the valve 9 to close, or by means of the crank 10 draft is'cut off and the weight ot the cotton acting on the upper side of the valve 9 will overcome the air pressure on the under side of said valve and cause it to open downward and permit the passage of the cotton intothe lower part of the feeder, The same result will be eiiected if the valve 9 is opened by hand. After the cotton has passed below the valve 9 it will be again closed, either by hand or by opening the valve 14 to restore the airdraft, and this action of the said valve 9 will be repeated about twice on the commencement of ginning so as to get the feeders full and enable the cotton to pass down by its own weight as long as it is continuously brought'into the distributing compartment-s at the top of the feeders.

In. changing from one halo of cotton to another, or at any interruption to the supply, the operator will observe through the glass 13 when the cotton is fed down below said glass and may then close the valve 9 by hand or open the air-gate 12 to admit air to the back of said valve and permit it to be closed by the suction of the fan. The cotton will now be again accumulated above the valve 9 in readiness to be dropped to the lower part of the feeder, tie-before described and when the feeders are again filled the several gates l2 maybe closed and remain closed until another'change in the supply is to be made.

In the lower end of each feeder 8 is journaled a pair of feed rollers 15 immediately above a picker-roller 16 that is mounted firmly on a rotary shaft 17 which carries all the picker-rollers of the several feeders. This shaft 17 may be continuous through all the feeders or it may bemade in sections connected by couplings 18 to permit removing the picker-roller of any feeder. As shown, the feed rollers 15 may be corrugated longitudinally to enable them to take better hold of the feeding cotton, while the picker-roller is provided with teeth or spikes to pick the cotton from the feed rollers.

On the shafts or spindles of the feed'rollers 15 are secured spur gears 19 that meshwith each other in position to cause said rollers to revolve toward each other and feed the cotton downward. I The shaft or spindle of one of the feedfrollers has-secured thereon a spur gear 20 which meshes with a pinion 21 that sconce is integral with a spur gear 22 which-,together with said pinion,is loose on the shaft or spin dle of the other feed roller. A clutch-pinion 23 on the shaft 17, when fast therewith and revolving rapidly, gives motion to the loosea speed-changing cone-pulley 25 which is connected bye belt 26 with elongated pulleys 27 and 28 that are suitably mounted in an elevated position, a heavy flanged wheel or belt- 85 tightening pulley 29' being hung upon a dependiiig portion of saidbelt, below the, pullcys 27 and 28 to keep the belt taut and at the same time a low it to run on any part of the cone pulley slow for the purpose of increasiug or diminishing the feed; To a pulley 30 on the shaft of the pulley 28 is applied a belt. 81 that may take power from a. rotary shaft 32 of agin 33 located below the feeder.

The rigidly suspended feeders?! do not ex-' i tend quite to the several gins with" which they may co-o'perate, and inorder to conduct the cotton without loss or waste from the feeder to the gin an inclined board or trou' h 34 is located between-the lower end oft e roc feeder and the gin. .This' inclined board or trough is pivoted to the lower ends of hangere 35 which are pivot-ally engaged at their. upper ends with the rigidly suspended feeder 8, whereby the board or trough receives, the

cotton from the picker roll 16 and delivers it to the gin. The trough 3i is preferably provided with sides'36 to serve as guides for the Y cotton'aud its bottom may in part be com.-

posed of perforated sheet metal to serve as a ho screen 37 through which sand and dirt can sift. By hinging or flexibly suspending the trough 34 from the lower end of a rigidly depending t'eeder, in the manner described, the

said trough can be readily swung entirely out I 15 of the way for the purpose of allowing the gin breasts to be turned up for giving easy aor cess to all parts of the gin, If desired, the lower end of the feeder 8 maybe provided on one side with a door 38 to permit the removal :20

of any foreign substance that may have dropped therein.

, The advantages of-thisimprovedapparams for distributing and feeding seed cotton to a number of gins will be obvious in the simplicity and ease with which a series of, feeders can be operated as one, the conven ient manner in which any feeder can be thrown out of action withoutinterrupting the work of the others, and in the means for in- 136.

sta'ntaneously increasing or decreasing the feed as required. By rigidly suspending the several feeders or chutes 8 all the picker- .rollers can bo'conuected and? together with dbBAdd ened suiiiciently to obviate their standing in the wayof getting at the gins and at the same time enables the cotton to be fed to the gins without loss. a

"What I' claim as my invention, is!

1. In an apparatus for feeding seed-cotton to gins, the combination of a pneumatic tube, means for causing an airdraft through said tube, a chute or fccdcr comnuinicating with the p .umatic ube and provided near its up per on with an air inlet and a trasparent pauehavalvesuspended in said fccdcrabovc the said air inlet which inlet is adapted to ad-v mit air to the rear and under side of the valve, and a gate for controlling the air inlet, sub stantially as described.

2. In an apparatus for feeding scod-cottn to gins,thc combination of a pneumatic tube provided. with a valve, means for causing an air draft through said tube, a chute or feeder communicating with the pneumatic tube and provided near its upper end with a coutrollable air inlet, a valve suspended in said feeder.

abovethe said air inlet which is adapted to admit air to the rear and under side of the valve, and a transparent panel inserted in the wall of the feeder below said valve, substantially as described. I

3. In an apparatus for feeding seed-cotton to gins, the combination with a suitable supply device, of a rigidly depending chute or feeder, feed rollers mounted in thelower end of said feeder, a valve located in the feeder above the feed rollers, and an inclined board or trough adj ustably suspended beneath the feeder to deliver the cotton to the gin, said trough being capable of adjustment to allow turning back of the gin bieasts to give access to the gin, substantially as described.

a. in an apparatus for feeding seed cotton to gins, the combination with a gin,adistributing box or casing, and a depending chute or feeder rigidly suspended from the distributing box or casing above the gin, of a board or trough located between the feeder and the gin, and hangers pivotally engaging the chute or feeder and suspending the board or trough so that the latter can be swung outof the way of the gins, substantially as described.

5. in an apparatus for feeding seed-cotton to gins, the combination with a gin and a rig idly depending chute or feeder suspended above the gin, of an adjust-ably suspended board or trough provided with a screened botgin, substantially as described.

tom and located intermediate the feeder and 6. In an apparatus for feeding seed-cotton to gins, the combination of achute or feeder, feed rollers mounted in the lower end of the feeder, and a door arranged in one side of the lower portion of the feeder above the feed rollers to permit removal of foreign substances, substantially as described.

'7. In an apparatus for feeding seed-cotton to gins, the combination of achute or feeder, a pair of feed rollers mounted in the lower end of the feeder and having their shafts provided with iutcrineshing spur gears, a spur-gear and pinion loosely mounted on the shaft of one of said feed rollers, a rigidly attached spu r-gcar on the other feed roller shaft moshing with said pinion, a picker roller secured to a rotary shaft below the feed rollers, a clutclrpinion mounted on the picker rollor shaft and meshing with the loose spur-gear on. the shaft of one of the feed rollers, a clutch shifter for making said clutch-pinion fast or loose on the pickc -rollcr shaft, and means for applying power to said picker-rollershaft, substantially as described.

8. In an apparatus for feeding secdcotton to gins, the combination of a chute or feeder, a pair of feed rollers mounted in the lower end of said feeder, a picker-roller mounted below the feed rollcrs and having its shaft geared with the feed roller shafts, a speed changing cone-pulley secured to one end of in elevated positions above said cone-pulley, a belt connecting said cone pulley with the depending portion of said belt above the speed changing cone pulley, and means for applying power to the shaft of one of the elevatcd pulleys, substantially as described.

9. In an apparatus for feeding seed cotton to gins, the combination with a suitable supplydevice, and a series of rigidly depending chutes or feeders each having a pair of feed rollers journalcd'in its lower end, of a rotary of which is arranged beneath each pair of feed rollers to co-operate therewith, gearing connecting the feed roller shafts with the rotary shaft that carries the several pickerrollers, and speed-changing mechanism con nected to one end of said picker-roller shaft. substantially as described. I

10. In an apparatus for feeding seed-cotton to gins, the combination of a suitable supply device, a series of rigidly depending chutes or feeders having feed rollers journalcd in their lower ends, a rotary shaft composed of sections connected by couplings, a pickerroller secured to each section of said shaft beneath the feed rollers of the several chutes or feeders, and gearing connecting the feed roller shafts with the shaft that carries the pickerrollers, substantially as described.

11. In an apparatus for feeding seed-cotton to gins, the combination of a series of rigidly dependingchutes or feeders each having a pair of feed rollers journaled in its lower end.

elevated pulleys, a belt-tightcner hung in a.

the picker-roller shaft, two pulleys mounted shaft carryinga number of picker-rollers one having horizontal pea-5012 previd' a rotary shaft carr'y'img a alumina! 0E pickermllersoma at which is'zwmnged. heneathmch pair of feed-rollers, intermesiling se-. cured to the shzzfts of he f ead rollers, a, spurgem ami mmched pini0n100se1y mo's'mted on fine shafn of one roller in each pair; arigidly attached spuvgear mqunted 011 $3145 shaft of the other fees roll-ax? in each Quail? meshing with said 100% ginion-geam clutch.- pininna mountad m: the remix"; iafker-mlier shaft am? mashing with i316 10058 spur-gam-s 01'; 218 fQGfLKOHEifi, ciu'tcbsbifmm for making said chatch-piuimls 01108-553 0% ine piakm' relief shaft, 31.16%. mc-acbzmism far ag jpzying power 510 and changing Hm speed of 'pc'imr rolimshaft, mbsmntimu as less 984%.

12 1mm appmatufl far feeding s-aedcoitan m gins, the aombinazion of apmemm 1 2 tuba iik'ldfifi sida mm 2, lmagitudiml opmtln ,& Fairy tribufiev-box 01 casing commxmiemmg with the pneumatic tube thmugh Said 01; ningsmd having sida airpzmssages am numbrof genizml selresnafl e'actxgpaxrtzmmis, avsevias @frigidly depending 0% 1% m femleza's eomnnmiwhbh miai c0 immem's pmvided with valves faed-mi'iera Kama" picker mile-1 shaft cmrying mmmbew' 33 picker-Yolk are; one 0f which m-mnged benemh the 'fieed mllera of each ahute m feeder; gaming connecting the picker-Toner slmft with theshafos of the feed mailers, mechanism csnneemd :0 one end of the pick-w nner shaf; forapplying power m said Shaina-115i fez chamgin 531g Epeed ts vary fwd, sxmi a number 01 winging; gur'pendeii bmaath aha piaflmr mil the Kie /em. r l depw' to mommy the when he the gins, :izubmamziauy dese ibefl;

V testimony whereef I Z'mve hereunto set my imnrl my afiixei my 5922-1 in pl'asanma of two subscribing aa'is'nes. as;

{1a. 5.} imesaes:

SYDNEY SMITH, Jan, G. Kmnmms. 

